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The White-tailed Sea Eagle was seen near Capanagh again this morning (Neal Warnock).A Spotted
Redshank in partial breeding plumage was in the RSPB Nature Conservation Area,
Harbour Estate this morning (Chris Sturgeon)

A Common
Sandpiper was at Murlough (Shelagh Henry).The first 2 Swift of the year were at Roe Valley Hospital (David McCool)

14 Waxwing were at Wyncairn in Larne (Betty Foster).

136 Pale-bellied Brent were along the Outer Ards including 52 south of Ballyhalbert. 2 Whimbrel were south of Portavogie and 20 Sandwich Tern on Cockle Island (Margaret Adamson)

A Red Kite with a red wing-tag on the right wing was at Capanagh (Cameron Moore).

Yesterday, 3 Waxwing spent the day at New Mossley in Newtownabbey (Ken Moore) and 2 Gadwall and 10 Hooded Crow were at Portmore Lough, with 100 Pied Wagtail roosting in the reed bed to the right of the hide (Mark Smyth).

The Marsh Harrier was showing well at Portmore Lough RSPB Reserve this morning (Frank Carroll)

2 Common Sandpipers were seen at Sionmills, Co Tyrone (Brian Hegarty)

Two Common Sandpipers were between the two bridges at River Bann, Portadown this morning (Stephen Hewitt)

120 Golden Plover were at Inch Lake this morning (Boyd Bryce)

4 Waxwing were at Glenshesk Park in Bangor (Brian Meharg)

A Great Northern Diver and 220 Pale-bellied Brent were at Glenarm (Dot Blakely)

2 Swift were at Magherafelt and 2 House Martin building a nest in Toome (David Morrow)

25 Swifts were with various hirundines at Antrim Marina. 195 Brent Geese were at Carnlough (Dermot Hughes)

In south Down 22 Willow Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 6 Wheatear, 30 Whimbrel, 2 Whitethroat and 3 White Wagtail were at St John's Point. A pair of Blackcap was in Killough and for the last week a Reed Warbler has been singing at the brickworks. There was no sing of the Dotterel at Slieve Muck but 2 Raven and 4 Wheatear were seen (Tim Murphy)

Yesterday 5 Wheatear, 4 Cuckoo and a Grasshopper Warbler were at Drowes River in Bundoran (Tony McCormick)

Also yesterday, 14 Whimbrel were near Dundrum (Margaret Adamson)

Thanks to Christine Cassidy for this pic of a Wheatear and Stephen Maxwell for the Purple Sandpiper and Andrew Poots for the Redpoll. You can see more pics at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

3Dotterel were at the top of Slieve Muck in the Mourne Mountains (Vivien Nixon via Shane Wolsey)

A Yellow Wagtail was at Portmore meadows (Gerard McGeehan) and a drake Garganey also at Portmore (Mark Killops)

3 Swift were back at a colony in Antrim (Mark Smyth).

A Red Kite was along Portaferry Road at Mount Stewart (Aaron Devlin).

A Common Sandpiper was along the Lower Bann in the Loughran, Coleraine this afternoon. (Richard Donaghey).

The Whitehead area this morning had 4 Whimbrel and 5 White Wagtail. The harbour area in Belfast this afternoon had 600+ Golden Plover on storage area (D3 as was), 2 swift and 2 sandwich tern were over the RSBP reserve. Sedge Warbler and Wheatear were at the Conservation Area. (Ian Enlander).

Thanks to Bill Guiller for this Jay picture, to Zach McCreery for the Long-tailed Tit picture, to Cameron Moore for the Waxwing picture and to Mervyn Campbell for the Swallow picture.

Thanks to today's photographers, to Anne Guichard for the picture of the Marsh Harrier from Portmore, to Bill Guiller for the first two Waxwing pictures from Larne, to Robert Scott for the third Waxwing picture from the Ormeau Road, to David Cassells for the Goldcrest picture taken near Oxford Island, to Christine Cassidy for the Treecreeper pictures, to Ian Jackson for the female Blackcap picture and to Tom McCreery for the pictures of the Willow Warbler and the Sedge Warbler from Oxford Island. You can see more NI bird pictures at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

A Sedge Warbler was at Lower Lough Erne islands reserve and a Cuckoo at Monea, Co Fermanagh this evening (Brad Robson)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was beside the Orange Hall, Comber. (Adam Middleton)

At dusk at Muckle Rucks nr Mullaphad Co Tyrone was a Grasshopper Warbler and a Woodcock (Colin Bell)

Our thanks to(from the top) Alex Coroliu for this pic. of a male Linnet. Danny Gibson for the Redpoll. Ed.O'Hara for the Sedge Warbler one of five seen at Oxford Island to-day. Ian Jackson for the male Blackcap.

A huge thanks to everyone who contribute to the blog, it is down to all of you that it continues to increase on a weekly basis.

Since 2009, Shane Wolsey has been colour ringing Common
Gulls that breed on Big Copeland, the largest of the Copeland Islands, just off
the coast from Donaghadee, Co Down.

With approximately 800 pairs, Big Copeland has the
largest breeding colony of Common Gull, Larus
canus, in Ireland and the aim of Shane’s
colour-ringing project is to build up a picture of the population dynamics of
this colony.Why has the colony grown
during the past two decades?What is the
reproductive success rate of this colony?Where do the young and adults winter?

The 2009 season was rather experimental with 12 adults
being colour ringed, and six pulli (i.e. young, unfledged birds).These birds were all ringed with yellow
colour-rings with black lettering on the left leg (with the BTO metal ring on
the right leg).

2BBC (c) Brendan Dunlop

As the yellow rings did not show up well against the
green-yellow of the bird’s leg, it was decided to change colour and since 2010 dark
blue rings with white lettering have been used (again with the colour ring on
the left leg, and the BTO metal ring on the right).

2HSF (c) Adam McClure

Since 2010 a total of 196 Common Gulls have been
colour-ringed on Big Copeland (13 adults and 183 pulli), although only 14 of
these were ringed in 2011 due to a storm in late May badly disrupting that year’s
breeding season.

Until the start of this year, there have been relatedly
few re-sightings, however, since January 2013 Copeland birds have turned up in
quite a number of places.

Millisle is a favourite place.There have been a couple of birds (yellow
2BBC, blue 2ADX) there throughout the winter, with the occasional appearance of
other individuals (blue 2AAC, 2ACA and 2HSF).There has also been a considerable build-up of Common Gulls, many of
them ringed, at Millisle during March and April – are these all Copeland birds
getting ready to get back on the breeding grounds?

2ACA (c) Adam McClure

A small number of Copeland birds have also turned up at
Duncannon Strand, Co Wexford.2AXV and
2HVP were there in January, and 2HPX in February and 2ANN was at Sarsfield
Lock, River Shannon, Limerick City in January.

The furthest travel bird to have been reported so far is
2AXH which turned up at Kervigen Beach, Finistère, France on 8th
January this year!

Many thanks to all those that have been reporting birds,
including Alain Le Dreff, Tom Tarpey, Stephen Drake, David Nixon, Tony Murray,
Adam McClure, Graham McElwaine, Brendan Dunlop and anyone else that I have
forgotten (sorry!).

Four pairs of Tree Sparrows were nest building in a Co Down garden in four best boxes (Garry Wilkinson)

Thanks to Christine Cassidy for this pic of a Dipper, Stephen Maxwell for the Portstewart Waxwings and Alistair Prentice for the male Blackcap. You can see more bird pics at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

Thanks to today's photographers, to Alistair Prentice for the picture of Tufted Duck in flight, to Christine Cassidy for the pictures of the Dippers and the Mistle Thrush and to Noel Austin for the picture of the amorous Gadwall at Oxford Island. You can see more NI bird photograph at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

A Grasshopper Warbler was on the way down to the hide at Bann Estuary. Also at the Bann were 340 Black-tailed Godwit, 22 Whimbrel, 4 Knot, a male Pintail, Grey Plover, 46 Golden Plover and a Common Sandpiper (Jeff Larkin)

Late news for yesterday - A small flock of Greylag Geese flew over Killyfaddy, Magherafelt at 11:15pm, flying west. At Moneynena, outside Draperstown, there was a Long Eared Owl, on Thursday, a Little Egret was feeding in fields with 7 Grey Herons at Toome (David Morrow)

Help
record,
what is for many, the distinctive sound of Spring – the call of the cuckoo.

Using the newly launched
CEDaR Online Recording facility, the Centre for
Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) is asking birders to report when they see or hear a Cuckoo.

The Cuckoo is a rapidly declining species. It is
Red Listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK
and a
Northern Ireland Priority Species. By recording when you see or hear a cuckoo you will be helping increase our knowledge of this distinctive bird.

4 Blackcap (three of them male) and a Willow Warbler at Whitehead (Gerard McGeehan).

The second-summer Mediterranean Gull was still on Cockle Island at Groomsport (George Gordon).

2 Swallows were at Salt Water Brig in Strangford Lough. (Nicholas Sanders).

10 Swift were at Oxford Island. (Alistair Prentice).

A Raven was in Tempo car park in Co. Fermanagh and 2 Wheatear were near Muckle Rocks, Slieve Beagh, Co. Tyrone. (Colin Bell).

Thanks to today's photographers, to Mark Killops for the picture of the Great Crested Grebe, to Margaret Adamson for the picture of the Black Guillemot, to Mervyn Campbell for the picture of the Grey Wagtail, to Christine Cassidy for the picture of the Eider and to Alex Coroliu for the second Great Crested Grebe picture. You can see more NI bird pictures at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

Welcome

This site is run by a voluntary group of birders documenting and recording information about the birds and wildlife of Northern Ireland. We provide information on rarities and interesting sightings so that others can enjoy. The sightings on this blog are not accepted records - rarities need to be confirmed, see https://nirbc.blogspot.co.uk/